“You have a very lovely home,” Truth said as she placed the casserole dish on the dining room table.

Mya Lawson beamed up at her. “Thank you. We just completed the renovation a few weeks ago and it’s nice to finally have company over.”

“Well, thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course. Mike has told us so much about you. It’s nice to put a face to the name.”

Truth smiled, though her apprehension at meeting Mike’s family this soon in their relationship only heightened. They had only been on three dates, including the disastrous one at Iggy’s, and she didn’t want things to move into a space she wasn’t ready for. And meeting his family was a big move.

Truth helped Mya finish setting up the table as more guests began to arrive. She recognized the woman who had brought Jackson the produce the other day and was surprised—and relieved—to find out she was married. The woman was open and friendly as Truth remembered and easily returned her friendly smile.

“Is this homemade apple pie, Savvy?” Mya asked, taking the covered dish from her hands and bringing it up to her nose.

Savvy laughed. “Did you really think I would bring you anything store bought?”

Truth face warmed as she glanced at her tin of store bought cookies on the kitchen counter. She knew the other woman wasn’t trying to be intentionally insulting, but the comment still left Truth feeling inferior.

“You’re the best,” Mya said placing the dish beside the cookies. “Where’s Damian?”

“With the guys.”

It didn’t take Truth long to recognize Savvy’s husband. He was the driver who had brought Jackson back home drunk on the day of Danny’s memorial service. She would never forget that night and Damian Carson only reminded her of that terrible night.

Truth pushed the depressing memory aside and joined the group in the large sitting room. While they waited for Gloria to arrive, they discussed a range from sports, to local politics, and even some home repair advice. Truth was having more fun than she could remember having with a group of strangers in a while.

“I just spoke with Gloria,” Mya said, coming back into the room. “She’s on her way here now. She apologizes for her tardiness, but apparently she’s bringing a date.”

Guy sputtered in mid drink and sat up straight. “A what?”

Mya sat down beside her husband and rubbed his arm. “Your mom’s still young, babe. Don’t be weird about it.”

Mike chuckled. “Yeah, Guy. You can’t expect her to stay a virgin forever.”

Guy glared at his cousin.

“I think it’s sweet she’s still open to love,” Savvy said, a wide smile on her pretty face. She turned to her husband and slipped her hand into his. “You never know when you’ll find the one.”

Damian leaned over and placed a tender kiss on his wife’s lips.

Truth averted her eyes, giving them some privacy. It was a sweet display of affection, one that said how much they loved each other, and it left her feeling strangely envious.

And feeling lonely.

“Wait a minute,” Mya said with a small laugh. “You guys have to tell Mike and Truth about your wedding day.”

Savvy groaned then shared in her laughter. “Do we have too?”

“Yes!” Mya said adamantly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more entertaining.”

“Or bizarre,” Guy muttered. He grunted when his wife drove her elbow into his side.

Savvy laughed, and turned to Damian. “Where do we start?”

Damian leaned back in his seat, the corner of his lips kicking up. “Maybe at the part where Quinn ditches her own wedding.”

Savvy shook her head. “No, I think we have to start earlier than that. Like when I found your mom’s ring.”

“What ring?” Mya asked, leaning forward in her seat. “I didn’t hear this part.”

Savvy began telling the story of her marriage to Damian and it was by far the most fantastical wedding story Truth had ever heard. If it weren’t the fact that they were sitting beside each other, very obviously in love, Truth wouldn’t have believed a word of it.

By the time Savvy got to the part of Damian’s dad nearly coming to blows with Savvy’s uncle, the doorbell rang.

“That must be Gloria,” Mya said.

Guy rose to his feet and went to the door. There was a bit of a commotion as Gloria greeted her son. They all waited quietly until the trio made it to the sitting room, curious to see who Gloria’s mystery man was.

Gloria entered the room first and Truth smiled a greeting at her, but when she saw who followed behind her, her smile wavered.

“Jackson?”

Savvy’s exclamation was the only word that followed as they all gaped at him.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Gloria said, before looping her arm around his. “He cleans up very nice, doesn’t he ladies?”

Savvy and Mya both agreed. Truth was still trying to recover from her shock at seeing him there to answer. But he did look incredible sexy in his black button down shirt and dark jeans. His neatly groomed facial hair only added to his rugged appeal.

“You look incredible, Jackson. I almost didn’t recognize you.” Savvy continued to gawk at him until she caught Damian’s glare.

Gloria winked up at him. “Tonight was my lucky night. I found out this hunk didn’t have any plans so I asked him to dinner.”

“You do look handsome tonight, Jackson,” Mya said “And I’m glad you could join us.”

If Truth hadn’t been staring so closely at him, she would have missed the faint redness that stained his high cheekbones. She resisted the urge to get up and hug him.

Mike got to his feet and clasped his hands together. “Okay, now that we’re done gushing over your hot date, Aunt Gloria, can we now eat?”

* * *

“How are you enjoying the food, Jackson?”

He turned to Gloria and nodded. “It’s good.”

She nodded then leaned in closer to him. “Try not to stare at her too long, honey, or people will start to think you’re constipated.”

With those quiet words, Gloria patted his arm before returning her attention to her plate.

Jackson did the same, making every effort to avoid looking across the dinner table to where Mike and Truth sat. If Gloria had noticed his irritation, who else might have?

He knew coming here tonight would be a mistake. Every time Mike leaned close to Truth or whispered something in her ear or made her laugh, Jackson felt a stab of annoyance and anger. Yet, the thought of being in the same room with Truth tonight seemed like a good way to ease his curiosity and keep an eye out on her date.

All he had accomplished tonight, however, was give him a tension headache and possibly a stomach ulcer.

Truth’s soft laughter flittered across the table, and Jackson glanced over at her again. She looked lovely tonight, with her hair pulled back in a large French braid and swooped over her shoulder. Her make-up was light and simple, not that she really needed any, and the rustic orange of her thin sweater brought on a natural glow to her golden brown skin.

“Jackson, why don’t you tell Mya about your new carpentry business?”

Jackson turned back to Gloria, who stared at him pointedly. She had caught him staring again and letting him know that she had. He cleared his throat and returned his attention to his plate.

“You’re starting your own business, Jackson?” Mya asked.

“Yeah,” was all he offered.

It was still very new, even to him, and he didn’t know what more he could say about it. If he had known Gloria would have made it the focus of their dinner conversation, he would have never told her about it during the drive here.

“That’s awesome,” Mya said. “So am I.”

“You already have your own business, love,” Guy said. “You’re just expanding it.”

She smiled over at her husband before she turned back to him. “Right. Patty’s shutting down her stationary store and I’ll be renting the space.”

“It’s right next to the boutique so it’s perfect,” Gloria added.

“Except the space is pretty small so I’d like to make some renovations in there,” Mya said. “You know, maximize on the space with a custom workstation. Do you think you can help with that, Jackson?”

The question took him by surprise and Jackson shifted in his seat uncomfortably. It had been a while since anyone had asked him to do work for them, and it felt strange. But this was just the kind of project he needed to get his business off the ground. He would be a fool to turn work away.

“Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll need to come by and look around first.”

“Yes, of course,” Mya agreed. “I’m free to show you around anytime next week.”

Suddenly, Jackson noticed that everyone at the table was looking at him and couldn’t help but feel put on the spot. He felt Truth’s eyes on him and glanced over at her. She smiled at him encouragingly and that small action was enough to ease some of his tension.

“Okay.” He cleared his throat and said more assertively, “I’ll check my schedule and get back to you.”

As the night went on, Jackson found himself relaxing more and enjoying the company. Ignoring Mike and Truth’s every move became easier to do, and he eventually he found himself more at ease around his old friends.

Eventually, they all moved back to the sitting room, but Jackson hung back to help Gloria clean up.

“Did you enjoy yourself tonight, dear?”

“You know I did, Gloria. Thanks again for inviting me.”

“You’re very welcome.” She dumped the last of the dishes into the dishwasher then firmly shut the door. “So…mind telling me why my nephew is dating the woman you’re so obviously in love with?”

Jackson tensed. “It’s not like that, Gloria. Truth is my sister-in-law, that’s all.”

“I wasn’t born last night, Jackson. I know that look and you’ve been wearing it all night.” Suddenly, she squinted up at him behind her wide eyeglasses. “Hmm, unless I was wrong, and you are constipated.”

Jackson sputtered with laughter and shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

“Good. That’s what I thought. So, what’s holding you back? I mean, I love my nephew, and I want him to be happy, but I don’t want him to be caught up in the middle of some messy love triangle.”

“There is no love triangle. Truth and I are family. Yes, I care about her, but there’s nothing going on between us.”

She studied him. “She’s not your blood, so there’s nothing stopping you. You certainly don’t need anyone’s permission or approval. So if you want her, Jackson, go get her.”

Jackson shook his head and leaned against the counter. “What I want…”

Is for her to be happy.

He didn’t realize until that moment, that her happiness meant more to him than anything. And as much as he hated to admit it, she was happy with Mike. He was the kind of straight-laced, family man with a stable career and clean image she deserved.

Jackson couldn’t ruin that for her. He wouldn’t.

“What I want doesn’t matter, Gloria, so please stop making a big fuss over this.”

She tightened her lip but inclined her head. “All right.”

They finished cleaning up in the kitchen and rejoined the group. Jackson swept the space as he fell into a single seater, his gaze unconsciously looking out for Truth. He instantly noticed she and Mike were gone.

“Did Mike and Truth already leave?” Gloria asked, falling into an empty seat beside her son.

“No,” Guy said. “They went out back for some fresh air.”

“Jackson, would you be a dear and get him for me?”

He looked at her in surprise and she simply smiled sweetly over at him.

Jackson pushed himself back up to his feet. “Sure.”

It wasn’t until he was out of the sitting room that he realized what Gloria was trying to do. Though he resented her interference, he liked the fact that she cared enough about him to meddle.

* * *

“I’ve really enjoyed our time together, Truth. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to bring a woman I like to meet my family.”

“I’m glad you invited me here. I’ve really enjoyed myself tonight.”

“Have you?”

Truth tilted her head to the side and studied him. “Of course. Your family and friends are really nice and fun.”

Mike fell silent and stared out at the distance. “Truth, can I be frank with you?”

She frowned. Nothing good ever started with those words. “I wouldn’t want you to hide your feelings from me, Mike.”

He turned to face her. “Call it male intuition, or maybe paranoia, but I’m getting this strange feeling that there’s someone else on your mind besides me.”

Her back stiffened and she stared at him searchingly. She couldn’t deny that. There had been someone else on her mind, all right, and he’d been sitting across from them the entire night.

Mike’s gaze moved over hers then he sighed. “I was really hoping I was wrong, that you would call me paranoid or dense, but I can see that I was right, wasn’t I?”

Truth swallowed, wondering how she had managed to fail in masking her longing for Jackson. She had a good guy in front of her now, yet all she could think about was the one other unattached man forbidden to her.

“Mike, I wouldn’t be here with you tonight if I didn’t want to be.”

“Yeah, but clearly I’m more into this than you are.”

“That’s not true.”

If anything, she desperately wanted it to work between them. Maybe then, she would stop pining for someone she couldn’t have.

“Yes, it is. And so is the fact that you’re not really ready to move on.”

“Of course, I am. Why would you say that?”

Mike took her hand and lifted it up high. “Because you’re still wearing your wedding ring.”

Truth’s gaze fell on the gold band that gleamed under the dim light of the back patio. Suddenly she realized that he believed she was still pining for Danny.

Truth felt relieved over that assumption, and also ashamed. It was Jackson who now consumed her every waking thought, and it was him that she was trying desperately to forget.

“It’s only been a year…” she murmured.

“I know. It’s still fresh. I get that, and I want to respect that.” Mike gently ran the pad of his thumb across her knuckles. “I really do like you, Truth. Enough not to want to rush you. But I also don’t want to be your rebound guy. When you’re ready to really let go of your husband, then maybe we can try this again.”

He leaned down toward her and slanted his head. Before his lips could touch hers, a gruff voice called out to him.

“Yo, Mike!”

They both started and turned to find Jackson standing only a few feet from them.

“Gloria needs you inside.”

“What for?”

Jackson shrugged. “Beats me. She just sent me out here.”

Mike sighed. “My aunt really knows how to spoil a moment,” he muttered before letting go of her hand. “Excuse me.”

Mike went back into the house, leaving her and Jackson outside alone.

Jackson’s penetrating gaze moved over hers searchingly, his expression unreadable.

“You all right?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. How are you?”

He shrugged. “My leg’s not bothering me, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“But…”

He took a step toward her, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. “You and Mike seem to be getting close.”

Her cheeks warmed, and her eyes dropped to his chest. “I thought so, too, but he just broke things off so…yeah.”

Jackson fell silent for a while before he spoke again. “In my opinion, it’s his lost. Not yours.”

Truth sighed. “You’re sweet to say that, Jackson, but I’m going to have to disagree on that. Mike’s a pretty great guy, and emotionally I’m a big, fat disaster.”

He frowned. “According to who? Mike?”

“No,” Truth said. “But it is weird that I’m still wearing my wedding ring, isn’t it?”

“If wearing your wedding ring makes you feel better, then wear it.”

She glanced up at him. “You don’t think it’s weird?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think, or anyone else for that matter. Least of all some chump whose intimidated by a piece of jewelry. Do whatever the hell it is that makes you feel happy and at peace. Only you should decide what it is you want or don’t want.”

Truth stared down at her wedding band then balled her hand into a fist. As unexpected as it was, Mike’s decision for them to take a break didn’t bother her as much as what his words had revealed about her. How could she claim to want to move on when she couldn’t let go of her past? How could she say she wanted to find love again, when she kept lying to herself about what it was she really wanted?

“I don’t even know what I want.”

She hadn’t realized she’d said the words out loud until Jackson reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The brief, unexpected action took her by surprise and she could only stare at him. She held his gaze, and his next words offered her a strange sort of comfort.

“You’re one of the smartest, sweetest people I know, Truth. When the time’s right, you’ll know exactly what it is you want.”

Truth stared at him, surprised and touched by his words. Not many knew what it felt like to lose someone they loved unexpectedly, or tragically. But Jackson did. He had experienced that heart-wrenching loss and had lost himself in the process trying to cope with his grief. Now he was getting his life back on track, at his own pace, with no expectations from her or anyone else.

He was reclaiming his happiness and was encouraging her to do the same.

Truth took a step toward him and looped her arms around him. She rested her cheek on his chest and held him for a while.

“Thank you, Jackson.”

He simply returned her hug with a gentle squeeze, no further words needed.

Mike may have been right about a lot of things tonight, but he was complete wrong about one. She was absolutely ready to move on, to find love again. Just not with him.

Because as frightening as it all was, she realized she was already in love.